Wednesday, 25 June 2014

It was an evening of indulgence, elegance, a celebration of taste and a salute to the Royal whiskey - Royal Salute 21 YO whiskey. An evening hosted by Virender Razdan and orchestrated by Sandeep Arora, a whiskey connoisseur and a pioneer / director of Spiritual Luxury living; this evening was nothing short of extravagance and royal repasts.

Sandeep Arora

An evening that was a curtain-raiser to the month long celebration of taste. It is a pairing of food and Royal Salute 21 YO whiskey midst a treatment bench-marked alongside the treatment at a king's table.

Joining in this celebration of taste is a fabulous menu specially crafted to comprise of the best of Dum Pukht Jolly Nabobs. Yes, a set menu that has a lot on offer for both the vegetarians and non-vegetarians. This menu of indulgence wonderfully pairs with the ultra rich and smooth Royal Salute 21 YO.

Yes, Royal Salute 21 YO...

Moving on to the food, first off - I was a vegetarian on the given day so my write up involves multiple dimensions. One being savoring the food myself (Vegetarian), second being my previous experience of dining at Dum Pukht Jolly Nabobs - ITC Windsor, ITC Hotels and reactions of the diners on my table (Non-Vegetarians). So here's to an evening of indulgence:

It started with delicious kabobs - 'Dudiya kabab' and 'Khus Khus kabab' for vegetarians and 'Jingha Dum Nisha' and 'Kakori Kabab' for non-vegatarians. 'Dudiya Kabab' was potato, herbs, nuts stuffed between 2 slices of melt in mouth cottage cheese. Khus Khus kabob was flavourful patty of veggies and poppy seeds. Both these preparations came plated along side mint chutney, salad and Indian bread.

In non-vegetarian, I saw diners relish the signature dishes of Dum Pukht - 'Jhinga Dum Nisha' and the ever gracious 'Kakori Kababs'. For 'Kakori Kabab' my belief is that, "If you haven't eaten it at Dum Pukht then you haven't eaten a Kakori Kabab'

For mains, it was (1) 'Qasar-E-Pukhtan' - Paneer cubes in rich gravy of tomato puree, fenugreek and cream; (2) 'Dum Ki Khumb' - a mushroom dish which again was a delicious gravy. Yes, I don't enjoy mushrooms and hence it was the gravy for me that worked wonders.

As non-vegetarians can we ask for more? There was the ever fabulous 'Mahi Dum Anari' - a preparation in pomegranate sauce and fish stock. What always gets ensured is that the flavors of the sauce do not overpower that of the fish. The one dish I have not tasted before is the 'Murgh Rezala' - succulent pieces of boneless chicken in a rich gravy of onions and almonds. I didn't try this but there surely was a buzz around this preparation.

The whole meal is no less than any extravagant affair. What the vegetarians and non-vegetarians have in common in their menu is the 'Subz Miloni', 'Dal Dum Pukht Qureshi', Guncha-O-Keema with an assortment of flakya and Ajwain flavoured Warqi Paratha, tandoori paratha and more. More about this can be read Here.

A meal at 'Dum Pukht Jolly Nabobs' can never be complete without a serving of biryani and some decadent desserts. Flavorful and aromoatic veg biryani for me and the rest of the table was served the super delicious and my all time favourite 'Dum Pukht Biryani' - a preperation of twice cooked lamb and full of flavor rice.

Dessert had 'Kulfi-Labe-Mashook' and the unconventional 'Begum's Pudding'. Served along with fruits soaked in honey in the form of a Popsicle. It made for a perfect end to a meal that's really royal in its stature and memorable for a long time to come. Absolutely loved the Begum's Pudding, it sure is a dessert that will always make it to my table in every visit I make.

This complete meal paired with a Royal Salute 21 YO comes at a price of Rs. 4000 (Vegetarian) and Rs. 4500 (Non-Vegetarian) plus taxes and charges.

Do I even need to conclude? Well, needless to say, "On any day, I love dining at Dum Pukht Jolly Nabobs - the Lucknawi restaurant at ITC Windsor." And with this month long (On till 15th July) celebration - 'Renaissance of Royal Repasts', it's time to pamper yourself on the King's Table. It's a table where indulgence, exquisiteness, extravagance and elegance keep you company in the form of fabulous food, champagne to begin with and a pairing of Royal Salute 21 YO whiskey for the rest of your evening.